04-11-2013, 12:41 AM
Anothersnag,
In my personal opinion, catch and release mortality on kokanee could be an issue, but I also think it has a lot to do with the maturity of the fish, water temperature, the depth the fish are caught and change of water temperature, handling techniques, fight time, and the list goes on. This topic has come-up before on this forum and others and unfortunately there aren't any catch and release mortality studies completed on kokanee that I'm aware of. I have seen some on sockeye salmon, a close relative to kokanee, but those were conducted while the fish were engaged in the spawn and typically more durable.
I started thinking about the question you pose years ago and started looking closely at all the kokanee I handle, including those I hook-n-line, handled in trawl surveys, trapped during the spawning run in Sheep Creek, etc. Up until last fall, I have never seen a kokanee with hooking wounds, but I finally saw one male during Sheep Creek trapping that had a damaged lower mandible. That's my only experience. Looking at other species I catch on the lake, it's not uncommon to see hook scars on rainbow trout or smallmouth bass, and it's really common on trophy lake trout. My feeling is the later species are not near as delicate, they are commonly hooked and released, yet live to be caught another day. Kokanee on the other hand are more delicate and likely more susceptible to catch and release mortality, but there isn't any scientific data to support that.
Based on my observations, I simply choose to catch my kokanee and move onto something else, but that's my personal preference. I have caught and released smaller kokanee (<12-inches) and some larger ones caught incidentally, but I just try to take precautions in hopes they will survive. I release them in the water as much as possible, which is typically feasible, but if I do have to land them I use a rubber net, hang it over the side of the boat, and get the hook(s) out and on their way as quickly as possible. Looking at studies performed on other trout species, reducing handling, time exposed to air (especially when it's warm), and using rubber nets all greatly increase chances of survival.
UDWR and WGFD have considered a study looking at kokanee catch and release mortality on the Gorge, but as you probably read earlier in this thread, funding is an issue along with developing a good study design. I suspect other states have or are considering something also. Hopefully in the near future a good study will be conducted to provide some answers.
Hope that helps some, Ryno
[signature]
In my personal opinion, catch and release mortality on kokanee could be an issue, but I also think it has a lot to do with the maturity of the fish, water temperature, the depth the fish are caught and change of water temperature, handling techniques, fight time, and the list goes on. This topic has come-up before on this forum and others and unfortunately there aren't any catch and release mortality studies completed on kokanee that I'm aware of. I have seen some on sockeye salmon, a close relative to kokanee, but those were conducted while the fish were engaged in the spawn and typically more durable.
I started thinking about the question you pose years ago and started looking closely at all the kokanee I handle, including those I hook-n-line, handled in trawl surveys, trapped during the spawning run in Sheep Creek, etc. Up until last fall, I have never seen a kokanee with hooking wounds, but I finally saw one male during Sheep Creek trapping that had a damaged lower mandible. That's my only experience. Looking at other species I catch on the lake, it's not uncommon to see hook scars on rainbow trout or smallmouth bass, and it's really common on trophy lake trout. My feeling is the later species are not near as delicate, they are commonly hooked and released, yet live to be caught another day. Kokanee on the other hand are more delicate and likely more susceptible to catch and release mortality, but there isn't any scientific data to support that.
Based on my observations, I simply choose to catch my kokanee and move onto something else, but that's my personal preference. I have caught and released smaller kokanee (<12-inches) and some larger ones caught incidentally, but I just try to take precautions in hopes they will survive. I release them in the water as much as possible, which is typically feasible, but if I do have to land them I use a rubber net, hang it over the side of the boat, and get the hook(s) out and on their way as quickly as possible. Looking at studies performed on other trout species, reducing handling, time exposed to air (especially when it's warm), and using rubber nets all greatly increase chances of survival.
UDWR and WGFD have considered a study looking at kokanee catch and release mortality on the Gorge, but as you probably read earlier in this thread, funding is an issue along with developing a good study design. I suspect other states have or are considering something also. Hopefully in the near future a good study will be conducted to provide some answers.
Hope that helps some, Ryno
[signature]